3,000 thalassaemia patients transfused at expo

KARACHI: Peoples Doctor Forum (PDF) President, Senator Karim Khwaja on Friday said PDF and Provincial Health Department arranged rare kind of mega transfusion of blood to thalassemia children and over 3,000 thalassemia children were transfused blood simultaneously at Karachi, Badin Nawabshah and Sukkur on same day.He expressed these views while talking to media men in Mega Transfusion of Blood to thalassemia patients held at Expo Center. Sindh Health Secretary Iqbal Durrani, Senator Taj Haider, Blood Donation Campaign Focal Person Dr Sabir Memon, Additional Secretary Dr Suresh Kumar, Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority (SBTA) Secretary Dr Zahid Ansari, and representatives of blood banks were present on this occasion.Senator Karim Khawaja, who is also in-charge of Blood Donation Campaign, said during this exercise about 2,000 blood bags would be transfused to the registered patients at Expo Center Karachi, while 1,000 blood bags would be transfused to the patients at Badin, Nawabshah and Sukkur.He said, “We have contacted with Guinness Book of World Record team and also sent record of blood donation, screening, collection and transfusion to register our name as per procedure.” He said fee was also paid to Guinness Book of World Record in this regard.He said blood donation campaign had started six years ago and about 6,000 blood bags had been donated in first campaign. He said PPP leaders and workers donated around 28,300 blood bags in three-day blood donation campaign held to mark Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s 61st birthday anniversary across the province this year. He said all the experts, health department and blood banks have been taken on board before organizing such mega transfusion of blood to thalassemia patients.Iqbal Hussain Durrani said efforts were underway to implement thalassemia Control Bill in across the province in letter and spirit. He said medical test for couples have been made mandatory before marriages and efforts were underway to include this law in Nikahnama. He said aim of organising the mega event was to convey message about thalassemia disease and create awareness in this regard. He said such event would be held in future in better way.Senior PPP leader Taj Haider stressed the need of proper legislation about thalassemia disease in order to control its prevalence. He said blood would also be donated to Pakistan Army and other healthcares. Blood Donation Campaign Focal Person Dr Sabir Memon said around 28,300 blood bags had been donated in three-day campaign held to mark Shaheed Benazir Bhutto’s birthday anniversary across the province.He said 5,000 blood bags had already been donated to different healthcares, while 3,000 thalassemia children were also transfused on the same day. He said blood quality would expire if it were not utilized within 28 days.He informed that they had contacted Pakistan Army to donate blood as per their requirement for Combined Military Hospitals (CMH). He said remaining blood would be donated to Thalassemia and other patients in hospitals. Hussaini Blood Bank, Muhammadi Blood Bank & Thalassemia Center, Afzaal Memorial Thalassemia Foundation and Burhani Blood Bank & Thlassemia Center also participated in the event.